The Athenæum will be closed Tues 7/21 - Fri 7/24 due to building repairs.

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PROGRAMS / READING GROUPS / Less is More: The Science Fiction & Fantasy Novella

This reading group invites readers to dive into the concentrated power of the science fiction and fantasy novella.

While novels offer sprawling canvases, the novella provides a unique intensity in the form of a sharp, focused lens. This lens can be turned on the “weird,” the speculative, and the human aspects of our lives as they are as well as on our future imaginaries and how we picture our lives might one day be.

OVERVIEW

This reading group’s selection spans the breadth of science fiction and fantasy’s potential, from the foundational, narrative elegance of the novella to its ability to convey the surreal and even the horrifying. We will explore a diverse array of themes, including reimagined mythologies, alternative histories, ecological speculations, the philosophical limits of identity and the physical challenges of cosmic exploration, to name just a few.

Since novellas are, by definition, short, each week we will read two works. These works have been paired for contrast as well as for resonance between the stories and the writing style. Over the year, we will engage in a conversation about how short-form speculative fiction can tackle massive ideas with artistic precision using the limiting, and therefore fruitful, medium of the novella.

MEETING AND READING SCHEDULE

The group meets in the Art Room on the mezzanine on the first Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7pm.

Weds, September 2
To Be Taught, If Fortunate, Becky Chambers, 2019
The Employees, Olga Ravn, 2020

Weds, October 7
The Only Harmless Great Thing, Brooke Bolander, 2018
The Necessity of Stars, E. Catherine Tobler, 2021

Weds, November 4
Elder Race, Adrian Tchaikovsky, 2021
A Man of the People, Ursula K. Le Guin, 1995 in Five Ways to Forgiveness 2025

Weds, December 2
The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday, Saad Z. Hossain, 2019
Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, Kai Ashante Wilson, 2015

Weds, January 6
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, Kij Johnson, 2016
Wave Without a Shore, C. J. Cherryh, 1981

Weds, February 3
Treacle Walker, Alan Garner, 2021
The Strange Bird: A Borne Story, Jeff VanderMeer, 2018

Weds, March 3
The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohamed, 2024
Comfort Me With Apples, Catherynne M. Valente, 2021

Weds, April 7
And Then There Were (N-One), Sarah Pinsker, 2017 in Sooner Or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea 2019
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, Nghi Vo, 2020

Weds, May 5
The Dragonfly Gambit, A. D. Sui, 2024
The Tea Master and the Detective, Aliette de Bodard, 2018

Weds, June 2
North Continent Ribbon, Ursula Whitcher, 2024
The Last Castle, Jack Vance, 1966

GROUP FACILITATOR

Eden Kupermintz holds a B.A in history and philosophy and has been fascinated with and passionate about science fiction, metal and literature for the past two decades. Eden curates the online archive anarchySF, is co-host for the Death // Sentence literary podcast, is editor-in-chief for Heavy Blog is Heavy, and does some work for corporations so he can eat.

Registration will open to members in two windows: Wednesday, July 15 at 8am and Saturday, July 18 at noon. Half the available spots will be released during the first window and the remaining half during the second. Participation is reserved for Athenæum members, so please consider becoming a member if you’d like to join a group! Members may participate in one group each year. If you have any questions, email readinggroups@provath.org.

REGISTER

The Athenæum is deeply grateful to our wonderful volunteer leaders. Please note library reading groups are not classes or courses, but rather a way for individuals to discuss readings together, guided by both expert and amateur enthusiasts. Participants should expect discussion-based, not lecture-style meetings.